Seniors

My top priorities are getting Kentuckians back to work and restoring fiscal responsibility in Washington.  Achieving these two goals will enable the government to keep its promise of retirement security for current retirees and future generations. 

Protecting Medicare

I understand why Medicare is important to so many people.  For retirees who have worked for decades paying into Medicare and who depend on the program, we have a responsibility to ensure that the program is healthy, sustainable, and there for the future.  This is why I am working hard to protect Medicare for current seniors, while also advancing responsible reforms which will strengthen the program in the long-term, avert the looming bankruptcy of a core Medicare component, and ensure Medicare can be sustained for future generations of Americans.

According to Medicare’s own trustees, the Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund – which covers things like hospital visits, hospice care, and nursing facilities – is scheduled to go bankrupt by 2026.  This means that, if left unreformed, Medicare will become unable to meet its obligations and the promises made to millions of American families depending on it, in just 13 years.  The only alternatives would be to force steep changes and dramatic cuts on individuals already in retirement or to bury future generations in debt levels that are immoral.  Neither path is acceptable.

In an effort to confront the financial crisis with Medicare, I have worked in the House to advance responsible Medicare reform.   Last year, I made a promise that I would not support changes to Medicare for people age 55 and older – those born before 1959 – and I made good on that promise with my support of this year’s House budget, H. Con. Res. 25.  Under this budget proposal, Medicare would not change at all for those Americans age 55 and older.

Sadly, the U.S. Senate and the President again kicked the can down the road and completely ignored their responsibility to advance solutions in their respective budgets that protect Medicare for the future.  However, let me be clear: Congress, the President, and the American people cannot afford to ignore fixing our broken entitlement system this year.  Medicare's looming insolvency worsens dramatically and becomes more costly each year we delay fixing it, and current solutions will no longer be sustainable or available if we fail to act this year.

Additionally, it is important to recognize how the growth in Medicare spending is directly connected to our ability to fund all other budget priorities at the levels needed.  If left unreformed, Medicare will continue to consume an ever-increasing percentage of our federal budget and crowd out our ability to fund important discretionary spending programs.  These are the programs in the budget which do important things like promote medical research, take care of our troops, fund infrastructure and transportation projects, open up educational opportunities, and provide for the national defense.

Saving Social Security

The Social Security program currently provides a vital foundation of support for 56 million Americans.  It is an earned benefit for workers who have paid in over the years.  I know how important Social Security is to the seniors, survivors of deceased workers, and disabled workers who rely on it for economic security.  This is why the program must be protected for current retirees, and its sustainability ensured for the future.  

I understand the consequences that harmful cuts would pose to Social Security recipients and I believe we must hold the government accountable to make sure it is able to honor its obligations to current retirees.  At the same time, we can’t put our country back on a path toward fiscal sustainability without considering longer term reforms to all mandatory spending programs, which currently comprise roughly 60 percent of the federal budget.  Rather than oppose reform of our budget, we should work to preserve the commitments we have made to current retirees, while working to ensure that the Social Security program is sustainable and able to support future generations as well. 

In protecting and strengthening Social Security for the future, we should do our best to minimize the impact of any changes made.  By providing adequate advance time for America’s taxpayers and future beneficiaries to prepare, any bipartisan legislative fixes can be phased-in gradually.